2016 Statistical Profile of Recently Certified Physician Assistants

Transcription

1 2016 Statistical Profile of Recently Certified Physician Assistants an Annual Report of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved

2 Table of Contents MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT/CEO About the Data and Collection Methodology Introduction Data Editing and Analysis About NCCPA GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION Distribution of Recently Certified PAs by State Recently Certified PAs by State (Number, Percent of Total and Rank) GENDER AND AGE RACE AND ETHNICITY LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH SPOKEN WITH PATIENTS ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES OBLIGATION THAT REQUIRES A POSITION IN A HPSA OR MUA EDUCATION OR TRAINING EDUCATIONAL DEBT RECENTLY CERTIFIED PAs WHO HAVE ACCEPTED A POSITION Job Search Challenges Faced in Job Search Selection of Clinical Position Location Hours Worked Per Week and Time Spent in Work Activities Practice Setting Practice Area Salary NCCPA All Rights Reserved Table of Contents 1

3 Table of Contents Employment Incentives RECENTLY CERTIFIED PAS WHO HAVE NOT ACCEPTED A POSITION Challenges Faced in Job Search Reasons PAs Did Not Accept a Position Offered Selection of Preferred Clinical Position Location Hours and Time Spent Preferred in Work Activities Practice Setting Preferred Practice Area Preferred Salary Desired and Educational Debt Employment Incentives Desired FUTURE DATA ON CERTIFIED PAs AND CITATION NCCPA All Rights Reserved Table of Contents 2

4 Message from the President and CEO Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D, PA-C Greetings Colleagues: We continue to have good news to share about the PA profession including its impressive growth with over 8,000 new PAs passing the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE) and earning certification last year. With ARC-PA projecting 52 additional PA programs in the next three years, we anticipate the number of newly-certified PAs will continue to grow at an impressive rate. The growth is not surprising when you consider these new graduates are in high demand, with over three-quarters receiving multiple job offers and over half receiving three or more offers. This is a tribute to all Certified PAs who have opened up access to high quality, cost-effective care and earned the confidence of physicians and patients alike, based on proven knowledge and skills. Thanks to all who contributed by updating their PA Profile, as this information sheds light on the profession as a whole, and how PA-Cs are improving the healthcare landscape. The future of the profession has never looked brighter. Sincerely, Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D, PA-C President & CEO NCCPA 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved Message from the President and CEO 3

5 About the Data and Collection Methodology Introduction Since certifying the first physician assistants (PAs) in 1975, NCCPA has collected data on the PA profession as PAs completed various processes related to obtaining initial certification and then maintaining certification by earning and logging continuing medical education credits and passing recertification examinations. In 2012, NCCPA s data gathering efforts were significantly enhanced with the launch of the PA Professional Profile. This data gathering instrument is presented to PAs through a secure portal within NCCPA s website. The Profile includes three modules: About Me, My Practice and Recently Certified. Data Editing and Analysis The "Recently Certified" module is delivered to PAs who have been certified for less than six months. Data reflected in this report includes responses from PAs who were certified for the first time in In addition, some data was obtained from other NCCPA data collection strategies. As of December 31, 2016, there were 115,547 certified PAs, and 109,592 provided responses for at least a portion of the PA Professional Profile, yielding an overall response rate of 94.8%. The data provided in this report has been aggregated from the individual response data provided by PAs through the PA Professional Profile or other NCCPA data gathering efforts. Responses were examined for consistency and potential errors. In cases of obvious error or inconclusive data, the responses were not included in the analysis. The number of responses to individual items varies due to differing response rates or due to the data being removed for reasons previously noted. Analyses of the data consist primarily of descriptive statistics. About NCCPA NCCPA is the only certifying organization for PAs in the United States. Established as a not-for-profit organization in 1974, NCCPA is dedicated to providing certification programs that reflect standards for clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning and other medical skills and professional behaviors required upon entry into practice and throughout the careers of PAs. All U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories have decided to rely on NCCPA certification as one of the criteria for licensure or regulation of PAs. More than 140,000 physician assistants have been certified by NCCPA since For more information about NCCPA, visit our website: NCCPA All Rights Reserved About the Data and Collection Methodology 4

6 Distribution of Recently Certified PAs Number of recently Certified PAs by state (divided by quartiles); Number, percentage of recently Certified PAs by state Figure 1: Distribution of Recently Certified PAs by State (Divided by Quartiles) There were 8,024 recently Certified PAs who had access to the PA Professional Profile in The map illustrates the distribution of those PAs. Note: Figure 1 highlights the states with the greatest numbers of recently certified PAs based on state of residence as reported to NCCPA. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) expects that the number of PA educational programs will grow from 218 (October 2016) to 270 by July 1, 2020, which would have an impact on the number of PAs seeking NCCPA certification NCCPA All Rights Reserved Geographic Distribution 5

7 Table 1: Recently Certified PAs by State (Number, Percent of Total, and Rank) State Number Percent of Total (Rank) Alabama % (33) Alaska % (45) Arizona % (16) Arkansas % (37) California % (4) Colorado % (19) Connecticut % (21) Delaware % (47) D.C % (44) Florida % (3) Georgia % (11) Hawaii % (49) Idaho % (29) Illinois % (10) State Number Percent of Total (Rank) Indiana % (22) Iowa % (34) Kansas % (35) Kentucky % (26) Louisiana % (23) Maine % (40) Maryland % (18) Massachusetts % (8) Michigan % (7) Minnesota % (12) Mississippi % (39) Missouri % (31) Montana % (38) Nebraska % (32) Recently Certified PAs were represented in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The states with the greatest number of recently Certified PAs include: New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, California and Texas. These five states are also the top five most populous for all Certified PAs NCCPA All Rights Reserved Geographic Distribution 6

8 Table 1: Recently Certified PAs by State (Number, Percent, Rate and Rank), continued State Number Percent of Total (Rank) Nevada % (36) New Hampshire % (30) New Jersey % (14) New Mexico % (41) New York % (1) North Carolina % (6) North Dakota % (48) Ohio % (9) Oklahoma % (27) Oregon % (24) Pennsylvania % (2) Rhode Island % (46) South Carolina % (28) State Number Percent of Total (Rank) Tennessee % (15) Texas % (5) Utah % (25) Vermont % (50) Virginia % (13) Washington % (20) West Virginia % (42) Wisconsin % (17) Wyoming % (51) TOTAL* 8, % *Note: PAs that reported an address in the U.S. Additionally, 14 recently Certified PAs were living abroad. South Dakota % (43) 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved Geographic Distribution 7

9 Gender and Age of Recently Certified Physician Assistants Distribution of recently Certified PAs by age and gender; Number by gender; Number by age group The median age of recently Certified PAs was 27 in The median age of all Certified PAs is 38. Figure 2: Distribution of Recently Certified PAs by Age and Gender Table 2: Number of Recently Certified PAs by Gender Gender Number Percent Male 2, % Female 5, % Total 8, % Table 3: Number of Recently Certified PAs by Age Age Group Number Percent <30 5, % , % % % % TOTAL 8, % 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved Gender and Age 8

10 Race and Ethnicity of Recently Certified PAs Number of recently Certified PAs by race; Number by ethnicity Table 4: Number and Percent of Recently Certified PAs by Race Table 5: Number and Percent of Recently Certified PAs by Ethnicity Race Number Percent White 4, % Hispanic, Latino/a, or Spanish Ethnicity Number Percent Black/African American % Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano/a % Asian % Puerto Rican % Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander % American Indian or Alaskan Native % Other % Total Responses 5, % Cuban % Other Hispanic, Latino/a, or of % Spanish origin Total Responses % Note: Respondents were able to choose multiple races, and 183 chose more than one race. Table 4 includes respondents from PAs who chose one race. 294 respondents indicated they preferred not to answer the question. Note: Respondents were able to choose multiple ethnicities. 44 respondents chose more than one ethnicity. 93.3% (5,547) of the recently Certified PAs indicated they were not Hispanic, Latino/a, or of Spanish origin. 237 respondents indicated they preferred not to answer the question NCCPA All Rights Reserved Race and Ethnicity 9

11 Languages Other than English Spoken with Patients Top ten languages other than English spoken with patients Figure 3: Percent of Recently Certified PAs who Communicate with Patients in Other Languages 21.9% of recently Certified PAs indicated they could communicate with patients in a language other than English. Additionally 3.5% could speak more than one language, other than English. The percentage of recently Certified PAs who indicated they can speak more than one language has increased steadily in the last four years. (17.7% in 2013 to 21.9% in 2016) Note: The percentage of recently Certified PAs who communicate with patients in languages other than English by the top ten most frequently identified languages NCCPA All Rights Reserved Language Spoken 10

12 Assessment of Opportunities Assessment of opportunities within 50 miles of PA program; Assessment of opportunities nationally Figure 4: Assessment of Job Opportunities Money Watch ranked physician assistant as one of America s 11 Highest Paying Careers in 2017 (March 8, 2017). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a growth of 30% from 2014 to 2024 (much faster than the average for all occupations). The total percent change for all occupations during the same time period is 7%. 1 1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Edition, Physician Assistants, on the Internet at (visited September 28, 2017) NCCPA All Rights Reserved Job Opportunities 11

13 Obligation that Requires a Position in a HPSA or MUA Factors motivating PAs to accept a PA position in a HPSA (Health Professional Shortage Area) or MUA (Medically Underserved Area) Figure 5: Motivation to Accept Position in HPSA or MUA for those that are working in a HPSA and/or MUA. Overall, 125 (2.6%) of the recently certified graduates indicated they are a National Health Service Corps Scholar or a state or federal loan repayment program participant, which required practicing in a federally designated HPSA or MUA NCCPA All Rights Reserved PA Position Search 12

14 Plans to Seek Additional Education or Clinical Training Number and percent of recently Certified PAs who plan to seek additional education or clinical training within the next three years; Reasons they are seeking additional education or clinical training; Degree pursuing if seeking for a new degree Figure 6: Reasons PAs Are Seeking Additional Education or Clinical Training 18.5% of recently Certified PAs indicated they plan to seek additional education or clinical training within the next three years (this does not include on-the-job training or required CME). Table 6: Degree Pursued if Changing Health Fields Degree in Clinical Health-Related Field Number Public Health 24 MD or DO 21 Other NCCPA All Rights Reserved Education / Training 13

15 Educational Debt Educational debt on completion of all training. Table 6: Number and Percent by Educational Debt Debt Range Number Percent None % Less than $25, % $25,000 $49, % $50,000 $74, % $75,000 $99, % $100,000 $124, % $125,000 $149, % $150,000 $174, % $175,000 $199, % $200,000 $224, % $225,000 or more % 19.1% of recently Certified PAs who have accepted a position indicated that educational debt influenced their decision to seek a primary care or nonprimary care position. Of the PAs who have not accepted a position, 21.8% said their level of educational debt will influence their choice. Educational Debt Median: $112,500 Mean: $112,377 TOTAL 4, % Note: 142 recently certified PAs chose Prefer not to answer 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved Education / Training 14

16 Recently Certified Physician Assistants who Accepted a Clinical Position 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved 15

17 Job Search in a Clinical PA Position Acceptance of a job; Number of offers received Figure 7: Recently Certified PAs Job Search and Status Figure 8: Number of Job Offers For Recently Certified PAs for Those who Accepted a Clinical Position as a PA 77.5% of PAs with a position, received two or more offers. Table 7: Recently Certified PAs Job Search and Status Clinical Position Search Number Yes, accepted a clinical position as a PA 3,284 Yes, searched for a position but have not yet accepted one 1,320 No, have neither searched for nor accepted a clinical PA position 166 TOTAL 4, NCCPA All Rights Reserved Job Search 16

18 Challenges Faced by Physician Assistants who Have Searched for and Accepted a PA Position Challenges faced in searching for a position Table 8: Challenges Faced by Physician Assistants who Have Searched for and Accepted a PA Position Challenges Percent Lack of clinical PA opportunities for recent graduates 34.1% Lack of clinical PA opportunities in geographic area preferred 16.3% Lack of clinical PA opportunities in preferred specialty 14.2% Lack of clinical PA opportunities in practice setting preferred 12.0% Lack of clinical PA opportunities for recent graduates and lack of clinical PA opportunities in geographic area preferred were the top two challenges cited for recently certified PAs regardless of employment status. Abundance of PA graduates competing for same position 9.3% Inadequate salary and/or compensation offered 7.0% Lack of clinical PA employment opportunities 3.8% 81.5% of PAs who have accepted a position indicated that they did not face any challenges when searching for a job. Lack of positions that meet obligations for employment (i.e. NHSC) 2.0% Lack of opportunities for spouse/partner 1.3% 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved PA Position Search 17

19 Selection of Clinical Position Location Geographical location; Training site Table 9: Location of Position Accepted Geographical Location Number 28.9% of PAs who accepted a position in a rural area, indicated that they grew up in a rural area. 24.8% of PAs who accepted a position in an urban medically underserved area indicated they grew up in an urban medically underserved area. Area where grew up 1,137 Area where PA program located 1,100 Area lived in prior to attending PA program 901 Table 10: Position Accepted at a Training Site of Clinical Rotation Area where want to live 729 Position at Training Site of Clinical Rotation Number Percent Rural area 461 Yes 1, % Other area 286 No 2, % Urban medically underserved area 246 TOTAL 3, % Note: Respondents were able to choose multiple locations NCCPA All Rights Reserved PA Position Search 18

20 Hours Working Per Week and Time Spent in Work Activities Number of working hours per week; Proportion of time spent in different work activities Table 11: Number of Hours Expected to Work Per Week Expected hours work per week Number Percent 1 10 hours % hours % hours % hours 1, % hours 1, % Note: Almost half (48.5%) of recently Certified PAs who have accepted a clinical position expect to work more than 40 hours per week. More than 50 hours % Figure 9: Median Proportion of Time Expected to Spend in Activities Median Proportion of Time Expected to Spend in the Following Activities Direct patient care* (outpatient) 60% Direct patient care* (inpatient) 45% Indirect patient care** 20% Other 10% Administration*** Continuing education Quality improvement / patient safety Research Teaching/precepting Volunteerism 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% *Face-to-face **Phone calls, reviewing labs, charting ***Own practice, hospital committees 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved Clinical Practice 19

21 Practice Setting of Recently Certified Physician Assistants Number and percent by practice setting of recently Certified PAs who have accepted a position Table 12: Number and Percent of Recently Certified PAs by Practice Setting Practice Setting Number Percent Hospital 1, % Office-based private practice 1, % Urgent care* % Community health center % Rural health clinic % United States military (federal government) % Other % 51.8% of recently Certified PAs who have accepted a position work in a hospital setting. Overall, 38.9% of PAs work in a hospital setting. 1 Behavioral/mental health facility % Ambulatory surgical center % Public or community health clinic (non-federally qualified) % Veterans Administration (federal government) % School-based or college-based health center or school clinic 9 0.3% Public health service (federal government) 7 0.2% Indian health service (federal government) 6 0.2% Bureau of Prisons (federal government) 6 0.2% Extended care facility/nursing home 5 0.2% Rehabilitation facility 4 0.1% Occupational health setting 3 0.1% Free clinic 1 <0.1% Unsure/Don t know % TOTAL 3, % 1 National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, Inc. (2017, April) Statistical Profile of Certified Physician Assistants: An Annual Report of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. *Practice setting included for the first time in NCCPA All Rights Reserved Clinical Practice 20

22 Practice Area of Recently Certified PAs Number and percent by principal area of practice of recently Certified PAs who have accepted a position Table 13: Number and Percent of Recently Certified PAs by Principal Clinical Area Area of Practice Number Percent Adolescent Medicine 0 0.0% Anesthesiology 0 0.0% Critical Care Medicine % Dermatology % Emergency Medicine % Family Medicine / General % Practice Gynecology 4 0.1% Hospice and Palliative Medicine* 2 0.1% Hospital Medicine % Internal Medicine General % Practice Internal Medicine Subspecialties % Neurology % Obstetrics and Gynecology % Occupational Medicine 4 0.1% Ophthalmology 0 0.0% Area of Practice Number Percent Otolaryngology % Pain Management* % Pathology 0 0.0% Pediatrics % Pediatrics Subspecialties % Physical Medicine / Rehabilitation 5 0.2% Preventive Medicine / Public 0 0.0% Health Psychiatry % Radiation Oncology 3 0.1% Radiology 9 0.3% Surgery General % Surgery Subspecialties % Urology % Other % TOTAL 3, % 25.3% of recently Certified PAs with a clinical position work in primary care: family medicine/general practice, general internal medicine, and general pediatrics. This is a decrease from the previous year. Overall, 27.8% of Certified PAs work in primary care. 25.2% of female recently Certified PAs chose a primary care specialty, while 25.7% of males did so. *Specialty included for the first time in NCCPA All Rights Reserved Clinical Practice 21

23 Salary Salary of recently Certified PAs who have accepted a position. Table 14: Number and Percent by Salary Range Starting Salary Range Number Percent Less than or equal to $40, % $40,001 $50, % $50,001 $60, % $60,001 $70, % $70,001 $80, % $80,001 $90, % $90,001 $100,000 1, % $100,001 $110, % $110,001 $120, % $120,001 $130, % $130,001 $140, % More than $140, % The median salary for both recently Certified male and female PAs is $95,000. The mean was higher for recently Certified males than it was for females ($95,244 and $91,132 respectively). The highest salaries for recently certified PAs were in radiation oncology, occupational medicine, gynecology, emergency medicine, and psychiatry. Annual Salary Median: $95,000 Mean: $92,293 TOTAL 3, % Note: 85 recently certified PAs chose Prefer not to answer 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved Salary and Educational Debt 22

24 Employment Incentives Figure 10: Incentives Offered to Recently Certified PAs 68.2% of the recently Certified PAs who accepted a position indicated they were offered employment incentives. When asked to rank order the top three incentives that most influenced their decision to accept the position they were in, the incentives that ranked in the top three were: 1. Income guarantee 2. Reimbursement for CME and certification maintenance 3. Flexible hours This differs from Figure 10 due to some incentives that were chosen but not ranked in the top three. Note: Respondents were able to choose more than one incentive NCCPA All Rights Reserved Clinical Practice 23

25 Recently Certified Physician Assistants who Have Not Accepted a Clinical Position 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved 24

26 Challenges Faced by PAs that Have Searched for a Job but Have Not Accepted One Challenges faced in searching for a position; Reasons PAs have not searched for or accepted a position Table 15: Challenges faced by Recently Certified PAs who have Not Accepted a Position or are Currently Searching for a Position Challenges Percent Lack of clinical PA opportunities for recent graduates 30.1% Lack of clinical PA opportunities in geographic area preferred 16.7% 70.5% of recently Certified PAs who have not searched for nor accepted a position stated that they decided to take time off before they began their career (an increase from ), 1.2% said they decided to work in a non-pa position, and 28.3% cited other reasons. 58.1% who have searched for but have not accepted a position indicated they have not experienced challenges when searching for a job. Lack of clinical PA opportunities in preferred specialty 15.4% Lack of clinical PA opportunities in preferred practice setting 10.2% Abundance of PA graduates competing for same position 8.7% Inadequate salary and/or compensation offered 5.1% Lack of clinical PA employment opportunities 4.5% Lack of clinical PA opportunities for recent graduates and lack of clinical PA opportunities in geographic area preferred were the top two challenges cited from for recently certified PAs, regardless of employment status. Lack of positions that meet obligations for employment (i.e. NHSC) 1.4% Lack of opportunities for spouse/partner 1.0% 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved PA Position Search 25

27 Reasons Recently Certified PAs Did Not Accept a Position Offered Table 16: Reasons Recently Certified PAs Did Not Accept a Position Reasons Cited Number Not in preferred area of practice Insufficient Other reason compensation % of recently Certified PAs who have searched for but not yet accepted a position indicated they have turned down at least one offer. Other Insufficient reason compensation Did not feel it was a good personal match with potential supervisor 86 Insufficient benefits 70 Would not allow physician assistant to sufficiently utilize the competencies gained 49 from education Wanted PA to assume too much responsibility for their level of experience 44 Insufficient supervision onsite 42 Insufficient learning for continued professional growth 40 Too much on-call time NCCPA All Rights Reserved PA Position Search 26

28 Selection of Preferred Clinical Position Location Geographic location preferred by recently certified PAs who have not yet accepted a position Table 17: Location of Position Preferred by Physician Assistants who Have Not Accepted a Position Geographic Location Number Area where grew up 603 Recently Certified PAs prefer to work in the area in which they grew up. Area lived in prior to attending PA program 486 Area where want to live % indicated they prefer an area where their PA program is located. Area where PA program is located 399 Urban medically underserved area 191 Rural area 171 Other area NCCPA All Rights Reserved PA Position Search 27

29 Hours Preferred to Work Per Week and Preferred Time Spent in Work Activities When PA Does Accept a Position Number of preferred working hours per week; Preferred proportion of time spent in different work activities Preferred work hours per week Number Percent Figure 11: Preferred Proportion of Time Spent in Activities Table 18: Preferred Number of Hours to Work per Week 1 10 hours 5 0.3% hours 6 0.4% hours % hours % hours % More than 50 hours % Median Proportion of Time PAs Prefer to Spend in the Following Activities When They Begin Work Note: 37.0% of recently Certified PAs who have not accepted a clinical position prefer to work more than 40 hours per week (less than in 2013 where 44.9% preferred work more than 40 hours per week). Of those who have accepted a position, 48.5% report they expect to work more than 40 hours per week. Direct patient care* (outpatient) 50% Direct patient care* (inpatient) 30% Indirect patient care** 10% Volunteerism Quality improvement/patient safety Research Continuing education Teaching/precepting Administration*** Other 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% *Face-to-face **Phone calls, reviewing labs, charting ***Own practice, hospital committees 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved Clinical Practice 28

30 Practice Setting Preferred by Recently Certified PAs who Have Not Accepted a Position Table 19: Number and Percent of Physician Assistants by Preferred Practice Setting Practice Setting Number Percent Hospital % Office-based private practice % Urgent care* % Community health center % Rural health clinic % Ambulatory surgical center % Veterans Administration (Federal government) % Other % United States Military (Federal government) % Behavioral/mental health facility 7 0.5% Public or community health clinic (non-federally qualified) 6 0.4% 38.9% of recently Certified PAs who have not accepted a position indicated they would prefer to work in a hospital setting, and 50.4% who have accepted a position work in a hospital setting. 15.7% had no preference or were undecided. Indian health service (Federal government) 3 0.2% Public health service (Federal government) 3 0.2% School-based or college-based health center or school clinic 3 0.2% Extended care facility / nursing home 2 0.1% Bureau of prisons (Federal government) 1 <0.1% Free clinic 1 <0.1% Home health care agency 1 <0.1% No preference % TOTAL 1, % *Practice setting included for the first time in NCCPA All Rights Reserved Clinical Practice 29

31 Practice Area Preferred by Recently Certified PAs who Have Not Accepted a Position Table 20: Number and Percent of PAs by Preferred Practice Area Preferred Area of Practice Number Percent Adolescent Medicine 5 0.3% Anesthesiology 0 0.0% Critical Care Medicine % Dermatology % Emergency Medicine % Family Medicine / General Practice % Gynecology 8 0.5% Hospice and Palliative Medicine* 1 <0.1% Hospital Medicine % Internal Medicine General Practice % Internal Medicine Subspecialty % Neurology 7 0.5% Obstetrics and Gynecology % Occupational Medicine 0 0.0% Ophthalmology 0 0.0% Otolaryngology 4 0.3% Preferred Area of Practice Number Percent Pain Medicine 1* <0.1 Pathology 0 0.0% Pediatrics % Pediatrics Subspecialties % Physical Medicine / Rehabilitation Preventive Medicine / Public Health 1 <0.1% 2 0.1% Psychiatry % Radiation Oncology 0 0.0% Radiology 2 0.1% Surgery General % Surgery Subspecialties % Urology 1 <0.1% Other % No Preference % TOTAL 1, % 28.1% of recently Certified PAs who have not accepted a position prefer to work in primary care: family medicine/general practice, general internal medicine, and general pediatrics. This is a decrease from 2014 and 2015 (32.9% and 29.1% respectively). 29.2% of female recently Certified PAs who have not accepted a position prefer a position in primary care, while 24.6% of males do. *Specialty included for the first time in NCCPA All Rights Reserved Clinical Practice 30

32 Salary Desired by PAs Minimum salary desired by recently certified PAs who have not accepted a position Table 21: Number and Percent by Minimum Desired Starting Salary Range Number Percent Less than or equal to $40, % $40,001 $50,000 1 <0.1% $50,001 $60, % $60,001 $70, % 10.9% of recently Certified PAs who have not yet accepted a position indicate they desire a minimum salary of over $100,000. For recently Certified PAs that have accepted a position, 23.0% are earning over $100,000. $70,001 $80, % $80,001 $90, % $90,001 $100, % $100,001 $110, % $110,000 $120, % $120,001 or more % TOTAL 1, % 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved Salary and Educational Debt 31

33 Employment Incentives Desired by Recently Certified PAs who Have Not Accepted a Position Figure 12: Incentives Desired When asked to rank order the top three incentives they are looking for in their first clinical PA position, the top three were: 1. Income guarantee 2. Education loan repayment 3. Flexible hours This differs from Figure 12 due to some incentives that were chosen but not ranked in the top three. Note: Respondents were able to choose more than one incentive NCCPA All Rights Reserved PA Position Search 32

34 Future Data on Certified PAs NCCPA pursues a research agenda that focuses on its core activities and the ongoing evaluation and improvement of its exams and certification program. NCCPA is also committed to collaborating with external researchers to share data in appropriate and ethical ways to further advance the health and safety of the public or otherwise conduct useful research related to PAs. To facilitate research collaborations, NCCPA developed Policies for the Review of Requests for Data and External Research Collaboration and guidelines that describe the process external researchers will need to follow for submitting requests for data and how those requests will be reviewed. The policies and guidelines are provided on NCCPA s web site at This Statistical Profile of Recently Certified Physician Assistants will be updated and published annually. In addition, there are reports that are currently available. Those reports include: Statistical Profile of Certified Physician Assistants Statistical Profile of Certified Physician Assistants by Specialty Statistical Profile of Certified Physician Assistants by State Please cite this work using the following: National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, Inc. (2017, September) Statistical Profile of Recently Certified Physician Assistants: An Annual Report of the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants. Retrieved Date, from This study is exempt from IRB review pursuant to the terms of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service s Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects at 45 C.F.R (b). NCCPA would like to acknowledge the following contributors: Colette Jeffery, M.A., Research Analyst Dawn Morton-Rias, EdD, PA-C, President and CEO Sheila Mauldin, M.N.M., Vice President of Research and Exam Programs Please address questions, comments or your request to be notified when the new data reports are published to: PAProfile@nccpa.net 2017 NCCPA All Rights Reserved 33